TRIP SUMMARY

A year or so ago, I requested that Mike get a “talking” GPS for the car so that the driver might not be so distracted by the hand-held GPS. Therefore, he purchased Ms. Nuvi Garmen, who is now the navigator’s tool. Ms. Nuvi does not replace the standard GPS, but we admit that she has her place. She’s especially helpful in city driving as she talks us through the turns.

Bear in mind that we did not have Utah, Wyoming, or Colorado maps on this trip, owing to oversight. A GPS is no substitute for a map, but the navigator had to work from a 1986 AAA United States road map, inadequate especially on the return trip where we used secondary routes. Ms. Nuvi always selects the most direct or shortest route and does not care for detours and side roads. “Turn left, turn left,” she would say as we left the interstate. “Travel 100 feet and turn left, turn left. Recalculating . . .  recalculating . . . turn left.” At one point I dubbed her “Ms. Smarty-Pants” for her superior, “I’m-always-right” tone. It seemed as though we finally broke her down. She just kept saying, “Recalculating . . . recalculating . . . recalculating . . . recalculating . . .” and I unplugged the poor dear.

Chuck requested trip details. While it isn’t particularly interesting reading, perhaps summarizing is of value.

·        Total miles: 2368

·        Average mpg driving 2006 Dodge Magnum: 21.47

·        Average driving speed: 77-78 mph (one speeding stop, forgiven, at Brigham City, UT)

·        Total caches, including Thornton, CO: 38

Additional Montana Counties gained (geocaches):

·        Silver Bow

·        Deer Lodge

·        Granite

·        Powell

To Thornton:

First day: left Clarkston at 7:45 a.m.

·        Hwy 95 to I84

·        I84 to Gooding

Second day: left Gooding at 4:45 a.m.

·        I84 to I80 at Ogden

·        I80E to Cheyenne (We drove Echo Canyon Road paralleling I80E for several miles.)

·        I25S to Thornton, arriving 5:00 p.m. (MDT)

Return:

First Day: left Thornton at 4:45 a.m.

·        I70W to Rifle, CO

·        13 to Rangely

·        40 to Vernal (stopped at museum in Dinosaur where we were provided a free Colorado map now that we were leaving the state)

·        191 north through Flaming Gorge (the scenic route through the Uinta National Forest)

·        191 became 44 (somehow)

·        43 to I80

·        189 to Kemmerer

·        30 to Montpelier, Soda Springs, and Lava Hot Springs

·        I15 at McCammon (where we had a Subway sandwich) into Idaho Falls, arriving at 8:00 p.m.

Perhaps now you understand why the navigator was getting a little testy, and the driver said, “We’re just a couple of oldsters having fun.”

The second day of return:

·        Explored Idaho Falls, leaving town about 8:15 a.m.

·        I15N to I90 just west of Butte

·        Off on Frontage Road for caches, including Anaconda area, and coming back to I90 at Drummond

·        I90 to Missoula where we took Hwy 12 to the Lewis Clark Valley

And that’s it. More than you ever wanted to know. 

Photos:
1) "Time Bridge" at Riggins where the Pacific time zone becomes Mountain time.
2) Mike finds a geocache at Bruno Rock in the middle of nowhere before Cambridge, Idaho.
3) A Colorado rest stop. I just thought the mountain shrouded by clouds was beautiful.
4) Mike finds a geocache at "Pay Gold" near Butte, MT.
5) Nellie at Fish Creek off Highway 12. KW